THE DUCHESS of Cambridge got behind the wheel of a 4x4 vehicle today and braved an off-road challenge even though it is not recommended for pregnant women.

Kate, who is four months pregnant with her third child, drove a white Land Rover Discovery 4x4 and took part in challenges including the “rock crawl” at Jaguar Land Rover Discovery’s Solihull Manufacturing Plant.

She and Prince William embarked on the challenge at the end of a 90-minute visit where they also met manufacturing staff and chatted to school children.

It was the first of three engagements in Birmingham for the couple and it came two weeks after the Daily Express revealed that Kate had vowed to visit more of Britain after only venturing out of London on a handful of occasions in the past year.

The rock crawl - a stretch of very bumpy uphill terrain - is designed to test the capability, suspension, grip and camera technology of the new vehicles and is part of the Jaguar Land Rover Experience.

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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited the Jaguar Land Rover Discovery plant in Solihull

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The Duke and Duchess tackled an off-road driving course at the end of their visit

William did amazingly well. He’s such a natural, really nice car control

Rowena Furby

However, pregnant women are warned on the company’s website that the course may be unsuitable for them.

The website describes the course as “driving in exceptional circumstances, where there are inherent risks of damage to both you and your property.”

It adds: “The course may be unsuitable for those who suffer from back problems (or any other similar conditions). It may also be unsuitable for those who are pregnant. We would therefore recommend that you do not participate in the Driving Experience if you suffer from back problems, heart problems (or any similar conditions or are pregnant).”

It is not known if Kate, 35, who was wearing a black coat by Goat, was aware of the guidance, but she was all smiles as she navigated the course.

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Both she and William, 35, got stuck at the same point half way up and had to reverse slightly before continuing.

Rowena Furby, lead instructor at Land Rover Experience, who was in the car with William said: “Everyone does, it’s a feature of the rock crawl.

“It’s a point where the vehicle articulates, you lose a little bit or traction.

“And you actually learn that a nice way to recover from loss of traction is actually just change your lines subtly...

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Kate took part in the off-road driving challenge during her visit to the Land Rover plant

“It’s quite an advanced obstacle.”

She added William was “really calm throughout.”

And she said about the feeling of being in the car: “Because the vehicles have the suspension it actually is quite balanced.

“There is obviously the movement through the vehicle, but the air suspension absorbs it.”

“Welcome back to the home of one of your husband’s other passions,” he said.

Kate replied: “Yes, he’s very excited by it.”

William, who last visited to watch a game in November 2013 — a drab 0-0 draw against Sunderland — said: “It’ll be interesting to see if she’s listened to any of my conversations about football!”

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Prince William met with apprentices at Villa Park in Birmingham

He also chatted to the club’s owner and chairman Dr Tony Xia about the football scene in China.

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” he said.

After a short break, the couple sat down in the director’s lounge to meet with 10 organisations helping to deliver the Coach Core training.

They included Aston Villa’s charitable foundation, England Netball and the City of Birmingham Basketball Club.

On the Villa Park pitch, apprentices were coaching schoolchildren from Prince Albert Junior and Infant School in tennis, athletics, football, rugby, netball and cricket.

Leaning down to talk to a group of boys aged 10 and 11 at the football section, William asked who they supported.

When Rehaan Banares, 11, replied Villa he gave him a high five.

“He asked me if it felt good being on the ground,” Rehaan said: "He’s a good person."

William, who began supporting Villa as a boy when they were one of England’s top teams and just up the M5 from his home at Highgrove, Gloucestershire, told apprentice coach Jake Shattock, 18, that the Villa boss Steve Bruce was a “manager from the gods.”

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